Situation occurred in 1985, when band lost its singer, David Lee Roth; vacancy was eventually taken over by Sammy Hagar
Crossovers between members of great rock bands usually get fans excited. From official initiatives such as the supergroup Audioslave (with musicians from Soundgarden and Rage Against the Machine) to temporary situations such as the passage of Axl Rose (Guns N’ Roses) for the AC DC, combinations of this type usually bring unique results.
A similar situation almost happened in 1985, when the Van Halen lost its lead singer, David Lee Roth, for the first time. One of the names quoted to fill his vacancy was none other than Glenn Hughes, bassist and one of the singers of deep purple between 1973 and 1976. The position ended up being assumed by Sammy Hagar, although.
The story was not known to the public for decades. It is only in recent times that Hughes decided to talk about it. Initially, in an interview with The Classic Rock Podcast(via website Igor Miranda), the musician commented:
“Good, eddie [Van Halen, guitarrista] was sober at the time… And we talked about it. I had no idea. We were friends for a while.”
Interestingly, this was the period when glen suffered more from drug addiction. Her sobriety only came in the 1990s and was maintained from there. During the interview, he reflected:
“My entrance to the Van Halen would it have worked? I am not sure. Maybe if I was completely sober – which I have been for 24 years. But it sure would have been interesting. Never know.”
More details on Glenn Hughes in Van Halen
In another interview, now for the 107.1 The Boss(via Ultimate Guitar), Glenn Hughes shared some more information about when he was considered for Van Halen. It’s not every day that something so impressive is discovered, so the vocalist and bassist will still be asked many times about it.
Hughes made it clear that even he didn’t know he had been tipped to join the band at the time. His name was mentioned, but the obstacle was precisely his chemical dependency.
“I was at Eddie’s house about 25 years ago and we were talking about the ’80s. And he said, ‘You know, if you were sober in the ’80s, would there be a possibility that you could join the Van Halen‘. And I said, ‘oh wow’. But I wasn’t the man I am today in the 1980s. eddie got sober in the 1990s when we were dating. So it was something I never talked about.”
The artist also highlighted his bond with the guitarist, who died in 2020 at the age of 65.
“But the fact is that being considered… look, I know eddie since 1978, because his manager was my tour manager. We miss him a lot. But I’m honored to have played with him. We played together quite often, but never in public. [Risos]”
crossover and dependency
If the story of deep purple did not come across the Van Halen in terms of members, you can’t say the same of another legendary band, the Black Sabbath. Between 1983 and 1984, the vocalist of the group led by guitarist Tony Iommi was none other than Ian Gillan, longest-lived singer Purple. Together they recorded the album born again (1983) and toured.
With Gillan then leaving to renovate the Deep Purple, the vacancy of lead singer Sabbath was occupied by, precisely, Glenn Hughes. He participated in the album Seventh Star (1986), originally intended as a solo effort by Iommi, and held the promotion tour. However, it caused so many problems due to addiction that it had to be replaced by Ray Gillen.
Source: Rollingstone
Earl Johnson is a music writer at Gossipify, known for his in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the industry. A graduate of USC with a degree in Music, he brings years of experience and passion to his writing. He covers the latest releases and trends, always on the lookout for the next big thing in music.
